the committee accepted the design, it was left absolutely in the hands of the committee. No orders were ever given it. We could not get advice, or suggestions, or permission from the Board. They absolutely refused to give us instructions; it lay absolutely in the hands of that committee. Consequently, when the committee decided that the design should be accepted, they accepted it and Mr. Zieber then and there. took it and went back to Philadelphia. When they brought it to the Board, the Registrars, who knew more about it than we did, and it was a mistake that one of those Registrars was not on the committee, said it was not practicable, there was not a proper place for signing; and Mrs. Dixon, I think, was just leaving for Europe, at any rate she was just leaving Washington, and as she was anxious to have the bill paid, it came addressed to her just a few hours after she left, and they turned it over to me as being the next person on the committee, and I was ordered by the Board to turn that over to the Treasurer General to be paid. Consequently the bill was paid, before the objection was noted. Then the whole matter was thrown back upon the Board, and we had it for a long time, and then I think Mrs. Roberts was forced to take it, were you not, Mrs. Roberts?

Mrs. ROBERTS. I would like to say that Mrs. Roberts was selected as chairman of the committee appointed, and when she found the condition of things, Madam Chairman, she resigned at once, and declined to have anything to do with it.

Mrs. HATCHER. So you see it has been one of the hardest, most mortifying things we have ever had to deal with; and after it had been going on over two years, we decided that the best thing to do was to throw it in the hands of the Congress. I have the original resolution here which was passed in 1895. It came up in the Board, it was not an order of the Congress. Now, we accepted this, and this very reliable and important firm of Bailey, Banks & Biddle consequently thought it was rather slighting them to accept this thing, for which, I think, we had paid over $400 or in the neighborhood of $400, and never use it. I am not speaking for Bailey, Banks & Biddle, nor for Caldwell, because both of them are my friends and I have no preference about the matter at all; only I feel, in jus

tice to the people who sent us this thing, I must tell the truth just as it occurred. The Registrars say it is not practicable, and at the Board it was suggested that this should be given to life members. Now the old certificate plate, which was never a good one, was practically worn out. Mr. Caldwell very kindly offered to take it and recut it for us, and has been supplying the certificates at 63 cents; and as Mrs. O'Neil states, he is now ready to give us a new certificate plate, which would cost $75 if we paid for it, but if we accept this, that firm expects to print our certificates practically forever. They do not want any competition; they do not want any other firm to be given that plate; it is with that understanding. Now it rests with you whether or not you want to accept that as a gift and bind yourselves, or buy your plate and own it and have our certificates printed where you see fit. But, of course, some action ought to be taken on it, since we own a plate and it was, of course, very expensive.

Mrs. EDWARDS. Would it be impossible for the Congress to get a bid from Bailey, Banks & Biddle upon a new plate, or find out if they are willing to make the same arrangement that Caldwell will make, and perhaps, make them feel more pleasantly toward us?

CHAIRMAN. The Chair will state that this is before the Congress; you can open the whole matter and do what the Congress wishes; it is in your hands; the resolution is here, vote it down or accept it.

(Calls of "Question.")

Mrs. LEWIS, of Tennessee. I move that we have the previous question.

CHAIRMAN. Previous question is before the house. Is it seconded? (Seconded.) The previous question is moved; do you wish to close debate? All in favor signify it by rising. All opposed to closing debate will please rise.

Mrs. BALLINGER. May I rise to a question of privilege? CHAIRMAN. Not while a vote is being taken, Mrs. Ballinger. Will you be seated? The negative has been taken, and the motion has been carried. The debate will cease. The mover of the resolution has the right to make the closing remark.

Mrs. O'NEIL. Can my motion be read again and acted on

now?

CHAIRMAN. The motion will be read again, and the mover of the motion yields her privilege of talking to Mrs. Hatcher. READER (reads motion): "That the offer of Messrs. Caldwell & Co. to present to this Society a new certificate plate, an exact copy of the original, be accepted with thanks, and that certificates from this plate admit all future members to this Society."

Miss MILLER. May I offer an amendment?

CHAIRMAN. It is out of order; we are working under the previous question; the vote has been called for. You have ordered debate closed and Mrs. Hatcher has this last, statement to make. Of course, you understand Mrs. Hatcher has no right to make this statement except the mover yielded her privilege. Mrs. Hatcher, will you make your statement briefly?

Mrs. HATCHER. You must remember, ladies, that the firms of Caldwell & Co. and Bailey, Banks & Biddle are both our friends. Mr. Caldwell is considered our official jeweller, one might say our official stationer; he has our watermark, he keeps that, consequently he is necessarily the official stationer to this Society and is authorized to furnish things. This is a very delicate matter. We cannot afford to enter into a big contract like this, with a firm like Bailey, Banks & Biddle, and then do anything at all which looks as though we were going back on our word or were discourteous. We are too big and too dignified an organization to do anything like this. CHAIRMAN. The Chair must rule that Mrs. Hatcher is out of order as she is opening the question again. You are speaking against the motion, and the mover of the motion has the right to close debate. The question has been called for. All in favor of this resolution of Mrs. O'Neil will signify it by saying "aye." Those opposed, "no." The Chair is in doubt. She will ask all in favor to signify it by rising.

Mrs. McWILLIAMS. I rise to a question of personal privilege.

CHAIRMAN. Not in the middle of a vote.

Mrs. McWILLIAMS. Oh, I beg pardon. I thought it was finished.

CHAIRMAN. The Chair would request that all those opposed to the resolution will rise. The vote stands 70 for the resolution, 35 in the negative. Therefore the resolution, Mrs. O'Neil's resolution, has been carried. The Chair has a very important notice that must be read.

READER. Mrs. Harrison, of Pennsylvania, most kindly gave to the Chapters of the western States pieces of wood taken from Independence Hall. The pieces were given into the hands of the Revolutionary Relics Committee for distribution. The chairman of this committee regrets that she cannot be here this afternoon, and was compelled to take them with her for safekeeping. They can be procured from her at "The Cochran," Mrs. Lindsay.

Mrs. McWILLIAMS. I would like to know if we are to have an evening session

CHAIRMAN. That is for the Congress to decide.

Mrs. McWILLIAMS. I wish to go home, and wish to know whether I am to come back or not.

CHAIRMAN. The Chair would state that no one can tell; it depends on the wish of the house.

Mrs. McWILLIAMS. I move we adjourn. (Seconded.) I move that we take a recess until eight o'clock.

CHAIRMAN. It is moved and seconded that we take a recess until eight o'clock. All in favor will please say "aye;" opposed, "no." The "ayes" seem to have it, the "ayes" have it. It is carried. (6.05 p. m.)

Saturday Evening Session.

PRESIDENT GENERAL called the meeting to order at 8 p. m. Mrs. King, are you ready to report? Report on the Meadow Garden Farm, Chairman, Mrs. Porter King, of Georgia.

Mrs. KING:

Madam President, Officers of the National Society, and Delegates to the Eighth Continental Congress: We, the members of the Meadow Garden Committee, beg leave to present the following report for your consideration. The object of this committee was to consider

the best way to execute the plan of the National Society for securing the ownership of "Meadow Garden," at Augusta, Georgia, the home of George Walton, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

We were appointed during March of 1898, but being unable to secure a directory of all the Chapters, nothing could be done before they disbanded for the summer, and it was decided to postpone this work until fall. In the interval war was declared, and soon came requests for subscriptions to a relief fund for the soldiers. To such a call there could be but one answer, and from every State and Chapter came ready and generous responses. In September, finding the directory still further delayed, a list of Chapters was secured from the official stenographer, and a circular letter prepared and sent to every one, asking that each member be requested to contribute the sum of ten cents toward a fund to be used in purchasing the home of this Signer of the Declaration.

This was the sense of the Congress of 1898 as conveyed by the resolution of Mrs. McCartney, of Pennsylvania, and passed by the delegates then assembled. Of the 441 Chapters written to, 60 have sent contributions and the following list gives the names and

amounts:

Mrs. Daniel Manning, $5; Miss Forsyth, $2; The Genesee Chapter, of Flint, Michigan, $2.40; North Shore Chapter, of Illinois, $3.50; Dixon Chapter, Illinois, $1.30; Cumberland Chapter, Nashville, Tennessee, $2; Campbell Chapter, Nashville, Tennessee, $5; Susannah Elliott Chapter, Georgia, $1.50; Shadrach Bond Chapter, Illinois, $1.30; Oakland Chapter, California, $3; Ottauquecher Chapter, Vermont, $1.60; Samuel Ashly Chapter, New Hampshire, $2.50; Continental Chapter, New Jersey, $2.45; Green Mountain Chapter, Vermont, $5; New York City Chapter, $15; Pulaski Chapter, Georgia, $5; Xavier Chapter, Georgia, $3; Rev. James Caldwell, Illinois, $1.30; Willard's Mountain Chapter, New York, 60 cents; Oglethorpe Chapter, Georgia, $4.20; Cayuga Chapter, New York, $1.50; Catharine Schuyler, New York, $1∙ Bronx Chapter, New York, $1.60; Merion Chapter, Pennsylvania, $1; Margaret Gaston, Tennessee, $1; Springfield Chapter, Illinois, $3.30; Mrs. Hugh Page, 10 cents; from Mrs. Speakman for her Chapter, $2; from Mrs. John Leary, Seattle, 10 cents; Eunice Sterling Chapter, Kansas, $2; Madison County Chapter, Kentucky, $1.90; Keturah Moss Taylor Chapetr, Kentucky, $2.10; Harrisburg Chapter, Pennsylvania, $4.90; Berks County Chapter, Pennsylvania, $2.70; Dial Rock Chapter, Pennsylvania, $2.40; Conrad Weiser Chapter, Pennsylvania, $1.40; Hugh White Chapter, Pennsylvania, $1.50; Spirit of '76 Chapter, Louisiana, $3.10; Cowpens Chapter, South Carolina, $2.50; Washington County, Pennsylvania, $1.10; Pittsburg Chapter, Pennsylvania, $25; General Samuel Hopkins Chapter, Kentucky, $2; Venango Chapter, Pennsylvania, $1.60; Betty Washington Chapter, Kansas, $1.60; Donegal